How Soon Is Now
by LadyRaya
Summary: Two Chapters Uploaded! Something Important Happens. To Whom, I won't say! R/R kind people :)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: No money. No sue. In other words: I don't own it. But, Christine is mine.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for language. And some selective scenes. Don't like. Don't read.  
  
Chapter 1   
  
Diagon Alley was bustling with people when a hooded figure like no other walked through the thresh hold. It seemed to know exactly where it was going. It stopped right outside of Flourish and Blotts. It seemed to pause and take a deep breath. And through the door it walked. It looked as if it was looking for someone. It found that someone. That someone was talking, or rather arguing with, Harry Potter and the other two thirds of the Holy Trio, was Draco Malfoy. But just as it was reaching out to tap him on the shoulder, his father came and grabbed his son's arm rather roughly. The figure grabbed Lucious' wrist and made him let go of his son. "And who the hell do you think you are." yelled Lucious. " Answer me." It never moved. By now Draco was intrigued. No one ever defied his father. Lucious drew his wand. But, before he could do anything, the figure lifted it's hand and his wand flew into the air and out of the store. "You'll pay for that soon." he growled. And with that he set off down the street to look for his run-amok wand. Draco, glad that his father was gone, looked at the figure and approached it. "Who are you?" It raised up it's hands and finally revealed that it was a she. Draco found himself looking down at a girl with short brown hair and honey colored eyes and glasses. Something look familiar to him. Too familiar. Suddenly, it hit him! "Christine????!!!!" "No shit Sherlock." she said sarcastically. Right then Draco knew that it was his best and oldest friend. She was the only one that was as sarcastic as him, good naturedly. He looked at her and then smiled. A true and happy smile. No one had ever seen him do that. All he ever did was smirk. But no, this girl brought out his good side. That side had been locked away for quite a long time. Ever since she had moved away. "You've gotten bigger." he said. "It tends to happen. I'm alot older than five." said Christine. "This is very true." he said with a smirk. "So, uh." stuttered Christine. "You want to go and get something to eat?" she asked. "Sure. Your treat." he smirked. "Cheepskate." she groaned good naturedly. They left behind a very confused Harry Potter, a dumbfounded Ron Weasley, and an amused Hermione Granger.   
  
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Meanwhile, at the Leaky Cauldron, Christine and Draco were sitting in a secluded booth. They were talking in whispers, so that passers by couldn't hear what they were saying. "So what are you doing back? Are you here with your parents?" asked Draco. "Well, uh." she said. "Oh no! Not again! Christine you didn't. " She nodded her head. "I did." she said looking down. Then she started shaking. "Oh, Christine don't cry." he said. She lifted up her head, only to reveal that she was laughing. "You little bugger!" scolded Draco playfully. "What were you arguing with those other people about?" she asked. "Oh, you mean Potter, Weasel and the Mudblood. Nothing you would be interested in, my dear, sweet , baby sister." "Draconis Lei Malfoy! I never want to hear that word from your mouth ever, ever again. Do you understand me???!!!" she scolded. Draco was taken aback by his friend's sudden jump from nice to a lion backed into a corner. Well, first he was taken aback by the sound of his full name. She never called him by that unless she was really pissed at him. "What word?" he asked innocently. But, deep down he knew what word she was talking about. "You know what word I'm talking about." she growled. "Ok, ok. Take a chill pill." he said. "You-" she was cut off by a coughing fit. A look of shear terror crossed Draco's face. He grabbed Christine's bag and frantically searched through it. He looked up at Christine. She was coughing into a hankercheif. He could see vaguely that a little part of it was stained with blood. Finally, he found the frosted blue bottle . He got up and ran to her side and grabbed her . He poured the liqued down her throat and stepped back. Her coughing slowly decreased until, finally, all of the Leaky Cauldron was silent. She was breathing deeply. When her breathing returned to a normal pace, Draco asked: " How long?". "Just a few months." she answered. His face suddenly looked stone cold. He went stiff and ridged. "Let's go." said Christine. "Are you coming to school at Hogwarts?" he asked as they stepped out into the damp evening air of England. "You bet." she answered perkily. "What house?" "Slytherin." another perky answer. "How can you be so happy??!!" he finally said. It was annoying to him that through all of this, she could still be so happy. "I dunno. I've learned to accept it, why can't you?" she suddenly turned stiff. "I'm the one that has to live with it! I'm the one who passes out every two hours. I'm the one that had to give up Quidditch because I kept passing out in mid-air and falling off my broom. Not you! You don't think I'm scared??!! You don't think that I worry about what I'm going to do??? You're wrong!! Just accept it. I did a long time ago!" she ranted. "I..." For once, the Ice Prince was at a loss for words. "You....? You what?! You feel sorry for me?! Is that what you were going to say?! Well don't even say it! I've heard it enough! 'Oh, you poor dear! You have that horrid thing! Can I get you anything? Do you feel OK? Maybe you should go and sleep for a while.' I know that they're trying to be helpful, but I'm tired of being known as the girl with the Cartile disease. I used to be known as the best female Quidditch player my age. I was the smart girl. I was everything every girl dreams of being. And now, I'm on potions day in and day out. I have to get shots every morning. I can't eat beacause I throw up half of my meals. I sleep half the day. My own father doesn't care if I live or die. My mother's dead. My step-mother doesn't give a shit about me. And my little step-brother doesn't know enough aboutit to be worried, bless his heart. I hope he never has to know about all the pain and torment that I am going through." Draco was silent. And then he did something so unexpected..... He acted human. He pulled Christine into a hug. Firm but gintle as if she would break if he pressed too hard. "I'm sorry." he said into wildflower scented hair. They pulled away and continued down the street. What they didn't know, is that eight pairs of eyes were watching them. Six belonged to Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. The other two belonged to a hooded figure in a dark and drab ally. 


	2. The World Ends

Chapter 2  
  
Dicaliamer: see Chapter 1.  
  
Warnings: see Chapter 1.  
  
~ is singing (don't ask. just read)  
  
Harry Potter watched the two teenagers walk down the pathway until they were out of sight. "Well, that was interesting." he said to his friends. "It sure was. I didn't know that Malfoy could be human." said Hermione, taking another sip of her sweet tea. "She must mean alot to him." continued Harry. "What was her name?"asked Ron who had been quiet up until now. "Christine,I believe it was." stated Hermione. "Hermione, do you know what the Cartile disease is?" asked Harry. "Yes, but, I don't know all about it." Harry and Ron looked apalled by this. "All I know is that it's very rare and you can only get it in certin ways. Like, either have it put on you(it's a curse by the way)or be born with it. It's very scary is all I know and to make it as far as she has is a miracle. You usually never hear of them lasting to fifteen. They usually die young." she said. "You mean she's dying?" asked Ron. "Well, Ron, we're all dying from the begining. She just happens to be dying a bit faster." she said. Harry was trying to   
  
take all of this in. Dying at fifteen was scary. And from the conversation she didn't seem like she was too worried. "I wonder how long she's had it." he wondered aloud. "Come to think of it, I read somewhere about the longest living person with the Cartile disease. It was a girl and she was fourteen at the time I read the article. She wouldn't allow her picture to be taken. But her name was Christian. That's awfully close to Christine." she said. "You know, you shouldn't talk about people behind their backs. It's terribly rude. " came an annoyed yet amused voice. They turned to see Christine looking down at them. "I just came back to get my purse. But, please continue your riviting conversation. It was just getting to the good part. Who is the girl in the article. Is it the new girl? Or is it..... someone else? " She bent down to get her purse out from under Harry's feet. "Eww. Mud." she said looking like she was about to be sick. Harry ooked down to see he had mud all over his shoes. "Sorry." She started   
  
laughing "What's so funny?" asked Ron. "Just the looks on your faces when you thought I had the Cartile disease." she laughed some more "How can you laugh?" asked Harry, mad that she wasn't taking this more seriously. "Long story. But the short of it is: I'm going to die and so are you and everyone else who is on this earth. I was just moved further up line. And it's funny because the only people to make such a fuss over me were Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius. I guess it's just funny. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get off of this dirty floor and back to my shopping, thank you very much." She got up and left the shop as if nothing had happened. That moment, Harry knew he didn't like her. There was just something about her that he didn't like. Maybe it was her tendency to act like Malfoy. Or maybe it was the way she acted as if nothing in the world bothered her. Or maybe it was that she didn't treat him like the "Wonder Boy". Not that he minded that. He just didn't like her. "Well, she is certinly a pistol.  
  
Isn't she?" said Hermione. "She's daft if you ask me." said Ron. "I think she's a damn spoiled brat." spat Harry."Harry James Potter. I can't believe that you said that." scolded Hermione. "I'm with him. She is a brat." said Ron. "I think it's deeper than that." said Hermione. 'Hmmm....I wonder.' she thought.  
  
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"Are you sure you're OK?" asked Draco, for the zillionth time. "YES! I'm cool. I'm good. I'm fine.So please, shut the hell up!" she said playfully. "You hurt me. Right here." he said pointing to his heart. "Aw. Poor baby." said Christine pushing him out of the way. He stumbled and caught up with his "baby sister". "That hurt ya know." he said walking backwards in front of her. "Why do you think I did it." she said pushing past him and entering a store. "Ouch." he said. Christine wasn't paying any attention to her friend. 'He whines too much for his own good.' she thought. Out of habit, she smirked at herself. "What are you smiling about." asked Draco, looking at her strangely. "Oh, nothing." she said, and dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Well, you're gonna have to stop. People will think you escaped from St. Mungo's." said Draco. "Well, if the shoe fits..." said Christine. Draco smirked at his friend. She had definately changed since he last saw her ten years ago. Not just the physical stuff. She had   
  
really changed there. Her hair was shorter and lighter. Her eyes were lighter. She has glasses. She was tan. She was taller. But, that was all to be expected. She had really matured far beyond her years. She could be sarcastic and funny. The little girl he knew was shy and almost never said anything. She was confident. When she was younger, she used to be scared all the time. But there was something in her eyes that made her look different. Like some sort of emotion that she just couldn't let go of. Hurt, maybe? Sadness? Need? Lonliness? Whatever it was, it was foreign to him. He never needed anything but her. She was the light in the dark that was his life. He loved her like a sister. And when her dad moved them to America after her mother's funeral, he was devistated. After that, he didn't care about anything. About how he acted or what people thought of him. But then, his father took him to his study and gave him a beating her would never forget. And now, he was forced to put on a mask for everybody. An act. Everything a Malfoy was supposed to be. Liars, cheaters, theifs. They never loved. Love makes you weak, was what he was brought up to think. But he couldn't help it. He loved Christine. She needed love. When they were little, she was always proper and always wore little frilly dresses. Now, she wore hip-huggers and low-riders. Tank-tops and tee-shirts. Flip-flops and sneakers. Baseball hats and big earrings. But she still talked like a lady. 'She's an individual.' he thougt. "What are you looking at?" she asked when she saw him staring. "You." he said smoothly. "Oh, well, I know I'm gorgeous, but that's just creepy." she said. "Sure." he said, rolling his eyes. "Have you worked on your piece anymore?" he asked. "Not lately. I can't get the words and the moves to flow. I haven't even finished the first half." she said, putting a book back on the shelf. Draco looked at the title. ' Diseases and Their Cures by Madame LeXros' . "I can't get passed ' The Love Melody'." she said. "I remeber that. You wrote it when we were six, I think. You owled to me. That was before your father stopped all of your mail." he said. "How did it go again? ~ I was made for lovin' you, baby. You were made for lovin' me.~" he sang. "~ The only way you're lovin' me ,baby, is to pay a lovely fee.~" she sang, smiling. She was glad her friend remembered something that happened along time ago. He smirked because she could still sing. "Where are you staying?" he asked. "In a little hotel in London." she said. "Really." he said. "Mmmm-hmmm." She was far too interested in the book she was reading. "Hello??" said Draco, waving a hand infront of her face. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I guess I spaced, huh?" she asked. "Yup." said Draco. "Let's go. I'll be in here all day." she said. They walked out of the store and onto the street.   
  
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LadyRaya: Sorry this is so short. The next one will be longer, I promise. I will have more action next time, too. I need 3 more reviews (more are welcome :) ) to continue! Love you all! Check back in a few days for the next one. Love you all!   
  
Love,  
  
me 


	3. The Trip To Hogwarts

Chapter 3  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
Warnings: See Chapter 1  
  
At Platform 9 and 3/4, there was much hustling and bustling. Mothers saying teary goodbye's to their little first years. Students saying cheerful hello's to old friends. Christine sat on a bench waiting for Draco. 'That boy is never on time.' she thought. "Christine? Christine!" shouted someone happily. She looked up to see a very happy Narcissa Malfoy. "You every bit as pretty as I remember you." she said. "Thank you, ma'am." said Christine. The train wistle blew and there was a frinzy of owls screeching. Mothers yelling. And students happily chatting. "I guess that's my que to go."said Christine. After giving Narcissa a hug and promising to write, Draco and Christine got on board the train. "Well, *she's * happy to see me." she said. "Lucius didn't look to pleased last time." she laughed remembering his face. "That's because you sent his wand off down the street." he said. "And he didn't know it was me. " she informed him. "That's true." she said. "Here's an empty one." he said. They walked into the open   
  
compartment. They sat next to the window across from eachother. She took a piece of parchment and a quill that didn't require an ink bottle out of her bag. "Mmmmmm." she mummbled. Draco thought better of it to disturb her while she was writing. "How does this sound: ~Never knew I could feel like this. Like I've never seen the sky before.~" "I like it." he said. Just then the compartment door opened and there stood Potter, Weasel, Weaselette and Granger. "Can we sit here? Everywhere else is full." asked Hermione. "If some of you don't mind sitting on the floor." said Christine. Hermione sat next to Draco(against her will). And Ginny sat next to Christine. Harry and Ron sat on the floor. Harry in front of Christine and Ron sat in front of Ginny. Christine went back to work on her piece. Both Christine and Draco were quiet. The foursome looked worried. Maybe they had stepped into some parallel universe. "Dammit." said Christine suddenly. "My quill's outta ink." She reached down and tapped Harry on the shoulder.   
  
"Harry, could you be a angel and get off my bag." she asked. He did. "Thanks you're a doll." she smiled. She threw the one that didn't work into the bag and took out a new one. She went back to work and Draco went back to his book. It was a book he hadn't read in years: ' The History of Magical Diseases.' . "Anything off the trolly, dears?" asked the little witch. "Six Chocolate Frogs for me please." asked Christine. She paid the witch in exchange for the Chocolate Frogs. She put one in her bag and gave the last five to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco. "Thanks." they all said. All she did was nod. She had gone back to her work and didn't really hear any of it. She was nibbling and writing at the same time. "Aw, I give up!" she said. She opened thek window and was about to let the paper fly out when Draco's hand caught her wrist. "No. You've worked too hard for too long to let it go now." he said. She brought the paper back in and put it in her bag. She got out a book and started to read. The book was   
  
blank on the outside and it was leather bound. "What are you writing?" asked Ginny. "Pardon?" asked Christine. "What are you writing? That thing you put in your bag. What is it?" she asked again. "Not that it's any of your business, but it's a piece I've been working on for a very long time."she said. "Like, music. A play?" asked Ron. "Both. It's a story told through music. A musical, if you will. But I don't call it that. It sounds too cheerful. I don't like cheerful things." she said flatly. How can you not like cheerful things?" asked Hermione, appaled by the idea. "In my family, my world, things such as rainbows and sunshine don't exsist." she said. "Oh my." said Hermione. "You said it, sister." she said as she stood up. Draco stood up as she did and sat back down as she left the compartment. "Aren't you going to follow her?" asked Ginny. "No. Why should I? She's only going to get her medicine." he said. "How do you know?" asked Ron. "Because it's four fifteen and she takes her shot at four fifteen   
  
everyday." he said. "How long have you known her?" asked Ginny. "Well, Little Weasel, I've known Christine since we were young children. Two, or so. " he said. "As I've said before: It's not polite to talk about people behind their backs. It shows cowardice." It was Chrisine. She stepped over Ron and Harry and sat back down in her seat. "Where are you from?" asked Ron. "Do you mean where was I born, or my origin?" she asked. "Both." he said. "I was born in France, but I'm an American." she said. "Where in America?" They were interested now. "The South." she said. "Where in the south?" they asked. Draco was watching with amusement. "I can't tell you." she said. 'Here it comes.' thought Draco. He rolled his eyes at his frineds sence of humor. She caught this and giggled. 'He knows me too well.' she thought. "Why." they asked. "Because then, I'd have to kill you." she said just before she burst into laughter. Then suddenly, she stopped and said. "No. Really." She looked serious. They looked at her wide eyed.   
  
"Are you serious?" they asked. Suddenly the train stopped. She and Draco got up and grabbed their stuff. "I guess you'll never know." she said as they walked out. "Well, she's certinly something else. I don't know what she is, but she's something else." said Ginny. "Gins, I'm not even sure that she knows herself." said Ron to his sister.  
  
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Outside Draco was looking for Crabbe and Goyle. Christine was just standing there next to him when a rather large hand perched itself on her shoulder. "Allo, m'dear." said a kind voice. "Young Master Malfoy." said the voice. Christine and Draco turned to see Hagrid standing there with a smile on his face. "Hagrid!" exclaimed Christine. He swooped her up into a bear hug. "Uh, H-H-Hagrid. I need air!" she said. "Opps. Sorry 'bout tha'." he said. "It's jus s'good to see yer again, Chrissy. Las time I saw yer, yer was jus a little girl. No more than four er five. "he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "And now, yer've grown s'much. Headmaster Dumbledor will be happy ter see ya again." he said. "Yup." she said. "Hagrid, it's been jsut peachy talking, but we really have to catch a carragie." said Draco. Hagrid's face turned sour and he said to Christine, "Why are yer hangin' around with this sorry excuse for a human bein'?" he asked. "Because, my dear Hagrid, Draco is my oldest and dearest friend. And he's right we do need to catch the carriges. But, we'll come and visit." she said. Then she saw the looks exchanged between Hagrid and Draco. She laughed and said, "On second thought, *I'll* come and visit you. Draco can stay in the dorm. " she said, chuckling. "I'll be seeing you Hagrid." she said as they searched for an empty carriage. They found one that had room for two more. It was occupied by Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Victor Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. "Drakie! I missed you!" shouted Pansy. 'Not too much, I see.' thought Draco whe he saw Pansy unlink her arm from Blaise's. "Oh, it was so terribly lonesome in Paris without you!" she said. He smirked. "Of course." he said. "Blaise." he nodded to his friend. "Draco." he nodded back. "Blaise." nodded Christine to her old friend. "Christine." he said. He did a double take with eyes wide open. "You were expecting Britney Spears?" she said. "Merlin! You've changed so much!" he said. "That generally tends to happen when you're fifteen." she said. "Well, yeah. What are   
  
you doing here?" he asked. "Going to school." she joked. "I know that, but, did Robert move you back to England?" he asked. "Not exactly." she said. "Not again! What am I going to do with you, Chrissy?! My dear, you can't just go running away from home everytime you get the urge to." he said. "Well, I didn't really get the urge to. My dad has gone literally crazy. I had to get out of there!" she said. "Maybe we should discuss this later." said Draco. By now Pansy was confused(not too hard to do with her) ,jealous and mad. She was Draco's girl. *And* Blaise's. She was the popular one. She got all the attention. The claws came out when she saw Draco whisper into her ear. "What are you?" she said. "What do you mean?" said Christine. "Are you a witch, a fairy. What? Because mudbloods are not welcome in Slytherin house." She said. " Well, FYI, I'm 1/4 witch, 1/4 fairy, 1/4 siren, and 1/4 sorceress." she said. "Well, as we all know fairies and sirens are the filthiest creatures in the magical world. Sluts, really. Go at it with anything that moves." she said. "Not true, not true!" said Christine. Pansy was glad that she got to her. "I don't care if they're moving." she smirked. Pansy's mouth was wide open. Draco was trying to hide the fact that he was laughing like and idiot. And Blaise was laughing out loud. Crabbe and Goyle didn't know what anybody was talking about. "You know, sweetie, that isn't very attractive." said Christine. She smiled showing perfectly staright and white teeth. "Well," said Pansy. "Well, what? Well, you talk a lot of shit for someone who never says anything? We all know that , sweetie." she said. Pansy was quiet the rest of they way. But she thought that she would try her way with Blaise. She thought that maybe Christine hadn't gotten to him completely. She kept running her fingers up his arm and pushing herself right next to him. 'What is she doing now?!' thought Blaise, cringing. When the carriage finally stopped he got out and whispered to Draco and Christine, "Keep her *away* from me!" he said jerking his head twards Pansy, who was talking with some of her Slytherin friends. They would look at Christine and turn back and laugh. "Ten minutes here and I've already become the most popular girl here." she said, rolling her eyes. "Well, what did you expect? You're best friends with the most popular guys." said Blaise, taking Christine's free arm (Draco had the other one). "Really? Who are they?" she joked. "Toche'"said Draco. The three walked up the path twards the castle.  
  
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LadyRaya: Ok, maybe this one is a *little* longer. I'm not sure. Well, you know the drill. I write. You read and review. Just click the little purple button at the bottom of the screen and tell me what you think. Peace and chicken grease! (ewwww) Forget that. I just thought it sounded cool. Bye now!  
  
Love to all,  
  
LR 


	4. Thoughts & Discussions

Disclaimers: Do I really have to repeat myself?  
  
Warnings: Ok, this is getting stupid!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Harry? Harry!" said someone. He snapped out of his trance. "What?"he asked. "What are you thinking about? Does your scar hurt again? Maybe we should go visit Madame Pomfrey." said Hermione. "No, 'Mione. I'm fine. Just thinking." he said. "About what?" asked Ron. "Something." he said distantly turning his attention back to the Slytherin table, where a laughing Christine Winters was laughing and sitting between her two best friends. "More like someone." whispered Seamus to Ron. "I don't blame him either. That Christine is a real looker." he said. Hermione rolled her eyes at this statement. 'Men' she thought. "Yeah." said Dean. "Oh,come on!" said Harry. "Oooo. Is ikle Harrykins jealous?"said someone. "Christine Winters. Are you here?!" said Professer Dumbledor. She stood up and walked up to the professer's table. There was a roar of squeals and cheers. "Christine!" said someone. "Oh, how are you?"said another. Then the most unexpected happened. Snape the Snake himself, got on his knees, and hugged her.All of the Great Hall was silent. When he let go he said: "It's wonderful to see you here." he said. "Same to you, Uncle Sev." she siad. "And you Uncle Albie, and Aunt Minerva and Aunt Poppy." she said. "How are you?" asked Professer McGonagell. "You mean... I'm Ok. As good as to be expected." she said. "Well, you look like you feel good." said the raven-haired professer. "I've learned to live with it." she said. "Well, this calls for a celebration!" said Professer Dumbledor. "A feast for three days!" he said. There was a roar from the boys. And a moan from the girls. "And," he added. "We will have two special days for Hogsmeade." he said. There was a shout from the girls. As Christine stepped down she heard Pansy say: "There's something wrong with her? Like, she's sick? Oh, I know! She's sick in the head!" Pansy thought this was histerical. Christine rolled her eyes at this.'Not like I haven't heard *that* before." she thought. "So. I see Snape was happy to see you." said Blaise. "Yeah. I don't think he's got much left. I think maybe I'm all he's got. 'Cause, ya know, Eve left him." she said. Blaise spit out his Pumpkin Jucie. "What! You mean Snape the Snake was once *married*?!" he said. "Yeah. Didn't you know that? They were married for eight years, and then one day, she just packs up and leaves. Didn't leave him anything but the Manor and the money. She took all her clothes, the house elves, and even Angela, their little girl." she said as she put mashed potatoes and fried chicken on her plate. "Merlin's beard, really!?" asked Draco. "Yeah, and he'll skin me alive if he *ever* found out that I told someone.I wasn't even supposed to know." she said. "Well, how *do* you know?" ased Draco. "I was there when it happened." she said. "Why?" asked Blaise. "Never you mind about that." she said. About and hour later, "Now that we'vehad that delisious meal, it's time for bed. Classes begin in the morning. Off you trot." (a/n: I've always liked that.tee hee) said Professer Dumbledor. The students got up and followed the Prefects. Christine found Blaise,Draco, and herself rammed right into the Dream Team. "Ain't that a daisy?" sneered Christine. "Brat." mummbled Ginny. " Bitch." mummbled Ron. "Hmm." said Hermione. Harry was silent. He felt something when she ran into him. For the spilt second that their hands touched, he felt a sea or emotions rush over him. It was weird. He felt saddness, lonliness, need, pain, mourning. It was too much to handle. He felt like he was about to break down and cry. 'Not here.' he told himself. How could someone harbour so much emotion? 'Maybe, just maybe, I'm not alone.' he thought. 'Maybe.'  
  
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*~Meanwhile~*  
  
"Albus, we can't let this go on!" shouted someone. "I'm just as exstatic as you are to see her,but, she's the reason that the whole damn Wizarding World is in danger in the first place!" said the voice. "She'll put this whole school in danger! Not to mention Potter!" said the voice, now recognisble as Minerva McGonagall. "Minerva, would you care for a Lemon Drop?" asked Professer Dumbledor. "No! I don't want any damn Lemon Drops. I'm trying to tell you the Christine Winters is a threat to the whole school. She cannot be aloud to stay here." she said, frustrated that he wasn't taking this more seriously. "Minerva, no one knows she's here. And as long as certin people around here keep it that way, our school is safe from harm until we can find a more permanent settlement for her." he said, eyes twinkling. 'He's a few sandwhiches short of a picnic.' she thought. "Alright, alright. But, she's still a danger to Harry." she said with caring for the boy. "And how would she be of any harm to him?" he asked, but he knew the answer."The Prophecy,Albus! The Prophecy! 'And by betrayal of love, the world shall be plunged into Darkness, and the Light shall perish forever.'" she said. " 'Then a pale Savior shall rise up, and banish the Darkness for all eternity, and the Light will riegn supreme.' That sounds like Christine to me." said the ever smiling headmaster. "But, what if she dies before she can save us?!" she said. "Well, we're going to have to try and keep her alive, won't we?" he said, poping a Lemon Drop into his mouth. "That means no Quidditch. Knowing her, she'll faint and fall off her broom in mid-air." she said. "Well, we have to have *something* to keep her active (a/n: get your minds out of the gutters.). I think I'll take the risk. We just have to make sure that she takes her medicine before *and after* every practice and game. And we'll do a test to make sure she's fit to fly before every practice and game." he said. "Oh, alright. But if she falls and get killed, don't blame me." she said. And with that, she turned on her heel and stomped out the door. And with a slam, she was gone. 'Please keep her safe.' he prayed. He got up and went into he quarters to sleep on it. 'Please.'   
  
*********************  
  
LadyRaya: so, what d'you think? spill. as usual, push the little button provided by the wonderful people at FF.net . ain't that something? well, you know the drill. Bye!  
  
Lov,  
  
LR 


	5. StudyingSort Of

Chapter 5  
  
Diclaimer: Really now. Do I have to keep reminding you? I think not.  
  
Warnings: Shall I say it? I shan't.  
  
a/n: i've decided to add something called"in this chappie". as you can guess, it tells you a bit of what's in the capter without giving too much away. ok, on with the show!  
  
in this chappie: a little harry/christine action.  
  
It was an unusually hot night for England. At least nintey-five degrees. Christine had her short hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. Two strands were hanging down into her face. She blew them out of her eyes for the fifth time as she bent down over her Potions homework. It was even too hot in the Common Room, so she decided to go up to the Astronomy Tower. She had taken her robe off and tossed it onto the window seat and taken her shoes and socks off. She loosened her tie around her neck and unbottened the top button of her shirt, revealing shimmering sweat against the moonlight. The moon cast blue shadows across her face. The light danced upon the sweat on her face and neck. It was so steamy, that she had to keep taking her glasses off and cleaning them because they kept fogging up. 'Damn heat.' she thought bitterly as she took her glasses off for the tenth time. She was too busy ranting that she didn't hear the door open and shut. A shadow moved across the room. Sleek and silent, it made across the room in a few quick steps. It was right on her when she turned around. "Potter." she hissed. "What are you doin' here?!" she said. "Same as you." he snarled. He too, had taken off his robe and shoes. His shirt too, was unbottoned revealing toned mucles from quidditch. Not too defined, but just enough to make a girl wish that he would look her way. His tie was undone and hanging loosely around his neck. Sweat was trickling down his face and glittered in the moonlight on his chest and neck. "It's too hot to make a fuss, so let's just study and not bother each other." she said. "Fine by me." said Harry. He sat down across from Christine. Every now and then his foot would brush her leg. And sooner or later, her hand would brush his. "Finally!" she exclaimed. She threw her parchment in her bag along with her quills. "How long you been working on it?" he asked. "Six hours." she said. "Do you mind if I stay here for a while? I'd like to work on somethings." she asked. "No. I don't mind." he said. She sat down Harry studied her. She looked different than when he remembered her. 'Nah.' he told himself. "What are you writing now?" he asked. "Same thing." she said. "Mind if I have a look?" he asked. "I guess not." she said as she handed it over.  
  
~$ Come What May $~  
  
Never knew  
  
I could feel  
  
Like this  
  
Like I've never seen the sky  
  
Before  
  
Want to find it  
  
Inside your kiss  
  
Everyday  
  
I love you  
  
More and more  
  
Listen to my heart  
  
Can you hear it sing  
  
Tellin' me to give you  
  
Everything  
  
Seasons may change  
  
Winter to Spring  
  
But I love you  
  
Until the end of time  
  
Come what May  
  
Come what May  
  
I will love you  
  
Until my dying day   
  
Suddenly the world seems such a   
  
perfect place  
  
Suddenly moves with such a perfect grace  
  
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste  
  
My world revolves around you  
  
And there's no mountain too high  
  
No river to wide  
  
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side  
  
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide  
  
But I love you.  
  
I love you  
  
Until the end of time  
  
Come what May  
  
Come what May  
  
I will love you   
  
Until my dying day  
  
Oh, come what May  
  
Come what May  
  
I will love you   
  
I will love you  
  
Suddenly the world seems such a   
  
perfect place  
  
Come what May  
  
Come what May  
  
I will love you   
  
Until my dying day  
  
~$ $~  
  
"Wow." said Harry. "Well." stammerd Christine. For the first time in her life, she blushed. "What's this? The Ice Queen blushing? Now I've seen everything." laughed Harry. "You're laughing at me!" she laughed. "No I'm not." he said. "I really like it. It's powerful. Like how love should be. Loving someone until the end." he said. "I wouldn't know." she said ,suddenly looking very nervous. " What d'you mean? You don't love anbody?" he asked. "Well, not like that. I mean. I love Draco and Blaise, but they're like brothers to me." she explained. "Oh." he said. "Have you ever loved someone like that?" she asked. "I thought I did once." he said as he thought of Cho. "And? What happened?" she asked. "My aren't we full of questions? Well, it turns out that she wasn't the one for me." he said. "Oh. I'm sorry." she said. She sounded truly sorry. "It's nothing to loose sleep over." he said. "True that. True that." she said. "If you don't mind me asking this, how can a girl as beautiful as you have never been in love? I mean, you must have had plenty of callers, so you must've found the right one by now." he said. "Oh, yes. I've had plenty of callers. But, they either liked me because of my money, they wanted to get close to my father, or they just thought I was pretty." she said. "Have you ever been with Blaise or Draco?" he asked. "Draco. For about a year. But, we knew too much about one another to be together, and now we're just great friends." said Christine, looking out the window. "Goodness it's hot." she said. " Got that right." he said. Christine took out a chain from under her shirt. It was a long chain, it went down to the middle of her chest. It had a strange little symbol on it. "What's that?" asked Harry. "Now who's full of questions?" she laughed. "It's apart of the Winters Crest. The language is old elfen. This particularly means love. I have one on my back." she said. And sure enough, on the small of her back, there was the same symbol. Harry ran his fingers over it, barely touching her skin, slowly, almost hypmotizingly, causing Chrisitne to give a small shiver. He stopped. "Sorry." he muttered. "Don't stop." she said. "What." he said intelligantly. "Don't stop." she repeated. Harry did as he was told. He lifted up her shirt and ran his fingers up her back, damp with sweat. She shivered again. "You're very strange to have me do something that makes you shiver every two seconds." he said. "You remind me of Draco when you do it." she said. "How so?" "When I was little and staying at the manor, he used to do that when I couldn't sleep." she said. "Oh." said Harry. "You've never had anyone do that, have you?" she said, turning around. "No." said Harry. "Turn around." she said. For a second time, Harry did as he was told. She lifted up his shirt and traced her fingers up and down his damp back. Now it was Harry's turn to shiver. Christine laughed. "Not so easy, is it?" she asked. Harry didn't hear this. All he said was, "Don't stop." "Sorry, babe. I have to get going or the Dinamic Duo's going to send out a search party for me." she said. "But there is one thing." she said. She turned around and kissed him. It took Harry a minute to register what was happening. The smell of peaches suddenly filled his sences. He responded to the kiss. She seemed surprised but didn't stop. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist and if it was possible, pulled her closer. The feeling of warm lips against Harry's sent an electric shock through him. Soon, the need for air was too much. They pulled apart. Christine gathered her things and paused at the door to say, "If you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you." she said with a glint of mischeviousness in her eyes. "Right." he said. When she was gone, he sat down and tried to finish his homework. He sighed and put down his quill which had made no marks on the parchment. 'It's obvious I'm not getting any work done tonight.' he thought. He gathered his things and truged down the stairs and back to the Gryffindor common room. He still   
  
felt the warm fingers running up his back and the soft lips on his. He licked his lips. 'Apples.' he thought. He was so lost in his daydreams, that he didn't hear the wispers behind him.   
  
"He looks different"  
  
"I know why."  
  
"Oh, Seamus. Everything is not about sex!"  
  
"It's not?! Kill me now."  
  
"GLADLY!"  
  
"Heh heh. What are you guys doing with that poker?"  
  
"I wonder why he didn't come to talk to us?"  
  
"I dunno. Maybe Seamus is right. "  
  
"Harry?! No way! You think?"  
  
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LadyRaya: I liked this chapter. It was fun to write. Well, more reviews! Love you all!  
  
Ciao,  
  
LR 


	6. The Challange and Not Again

Chapter 6  
  
Disclaimer: Same as always. No money, no sue.  
  
Warnings: I don't chew my Tootsie Rolls twice.  
  
In this Chappie: A nasty fall causes some things to happen.  
  
Harry woke up the next day feeling better than he had in a long time. He remembered what happened last night. He smiled to himself. He jumped out of bed and felt something move around his neck. He looked down and there was Christine's necklace. He found it last night in his bag. But, he didn't remember putting it on. "That's strange." he said aloud. "What's strange?" asked Ron from the next bed. He saw Harry standing there clad in only a pair of blue plaid dorm pants. His tanned skin standing out more against the blue. Ron saw a glint of sliver. He walked over to his friend and looked at it more closely. "What's this?" he asked. "You have to keep this quiet." said Harry. "Okay. Okay! Tell, tell, tell." said Ron. "It's Christine's. I found it in my bag last night." he said. "What's this have to do with you?" Ron asked. Harry told him the whole story. From the creeping in and scaring her to the kiss. "Wow. Is she good?" he asked. "What do you mean?" asked Harry. "Is she good. Kisser." said Ron. Harry grinned. "Like you wouldn't *believe*." he said. "Oh, yeah." said Ron as he and Harry made their way twards the bathroom.   
  
********************  
  
Christine rinsed the peachy colored and scented shampoo out of her hair. She got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She pulled on her uniform and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She grabbed her broom and headed downstairs and caught up with Blaise and Draco. "You look good in a Slytherin uniform." said Blaise. "I look even better on a broom." said Christine. "I bet you do." he said. On their way to the Quidditch Pitch, they passed Harry and Ron and Hermione. "Hey Weasel, how's your sister. I heard that she got caught last night half-naked with Potter!" laughed Blasie. "WHAT!!!" exploded Ron. "Yeah. They were *all* over each other." said Blaise. His face had gone redder than his hair. "Blaise, that's not true and you know it." whispered Christine. "Yeah, so." he said. "Weasel calm down. It's not true. Blaise's flirting is on over-drive today." said Christine. "How do you know it's not true?" he said struggling to get away from Seamus. Seamus was trying to keep Ron from strangling Harry. "Beacuse Potter was with me last night, studying."she said. "Prove it." he said. Christine walked over to Harry and pulled the necklace out from under his shirt. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry mate. I forgot." said Ron. "Here." said Harry pulling the necklace out. "Keep it. I've got one on my back. Remember?" she said. They went back to chattering. Harry looked back at Christine and mouthed 'Thanks'. She just nodded and went back to her conversation with Blaise and Draco. "Why'd you do that?" asked Blaise. "Blaise, my days are numbered. And I want to make them as nice as possible. And I don't want you fucking them up with childish flirting." she said. "I'm sorry Chrissy. Forgive me? Please." said Blasie. He pulled the look that he used to when they were little. "Oooooo! You daft little bugger!" she laughed. "Besides. I know you have a crush on the Weasel." she whispered. "How'd you know?" he whispered back. "It's obvious. Maybe not to others. But, I've known you long enough to know when you're crushin' and you're crushin' in a *major* way!" she said. "Sometimes I think you're too smart for you're own damn good." he said. " 'Tis true. 'Tis true." she said as they entered the Quidditch Pitch. "So. You have to be one hell of a Seeker. As much as I hate to admit it, Potter's pretty damn good." said Blaise. "Don't worry."she said. "Hey." said a voice from behind them. "We have the field now." said the voice. It belonged to Cho Chang. "We have permission." said Draco, handing over a peice of parchment. Her eyes scanned the page. "Who's your new Seeker?" she asked irritably. "Why Cho. How positivly horrid to see you again, dahhling." said Christine stepping out from behind Draco and Blaise. "As you." she said. "Are you the new Seeker?" she asked. "Who else but me? I'm the greatest Seeker in Europe and America." she said. "Not better than Harry." said Cho smugly. "We shall see." said Christine. "Bring him out." she said. "What. Now?" said Cho. "No. Four weeks from next Thursday." said Christine. Cho looked at her curiously. "Yes now." said Christine with an eye roll. "All right. Don't move." she said. "Wouldn't *dream* of it, dahhling." said Christine. "Do you know what you're doing?" asked Draco. "Absolutly not." said Christine taking her Quidditch robe off and sitting on the damp grass. About fifteen minutes later, just as Christine was pushing down into a split, Cho came up to her looking smug with Harry, Ron and Hermione in tow. "Well. Here he is. His Airness himself." said Cho. Harry and Christine just laughed. "What's so funny?" she said, looking confused. "His Airness. That's Michael Jordan, idiot." said Christine. "You know. The Bulls. Chicago? Oh, nevermind!" said Chrisitne. "The challage is, I will throw ten practice Snitches in the air, and whom ever catches the most in ten minutes, wins." said Draco. "Okay." said Harry. "Fine by me." said Christine. They mounted their brooms. "On the count of three then?" said Harry. "Three." said Christine. "One. Two. THREE." said Cho as she realeased the Snitches. And they took off. Both going at the same speed. Then, they headed of in separate directions. Christine saw something out of the corner of her eye. 'A Snitch.' she thought. She made a sharp turn right and dove after the flittering ball of gold. She streached her hand and closed her fingers over the cold metal. 'One down. Nine to go.' she thought. She looked over at Harry. No luck, yet. She saw another one heading twords the Forbbiden Forest. "No. Christine!" shouted someone as she raced twords it. "I'll be fine!" she shouted back. 'That idiot girl.' thought Harry. He shot across the Pitch to try and catch up to Christine. "Christine! Do you know where you're going?!" he called. "The Forbbiden Forrest." she called back. As she entered, she found it darker than she remembered. She saw a tree and swirved out of the way. Harry finally caught up to her. "You're daft. You know that?" he said. "Of course. And so are you for following me." she teased. "Look out!" said Harry. She swirved out of the way, but the turn was too much for the broom. She fell from fifty feet in the air. Harry turned when he realised that Christine was being awfully quiet. He looked down. "Shit!" he said. He dove down after her. But a vertical dive like that, you're bound to loose grip sometime. He fell and plunged the drop of fifty feet. Hermione, who was watching the whole thing from benoculars, screamed. "They've fallen! They've fallen! They're dead!" she shouted. A cold fear shot through Draco and Blaise. They knew that if she died now, the *whole* fucking magical world was screwed. They might as well walk right up to Voldemort's door, and say "Here I am. Kill me now!". They were by her side in five minutes. It was an awful sight. Harry and Chrisitne were laying side by side pouring blood. Christine had broken her leg and an arm. And her neck was at and odd angle and she had a cut on her head. Draco felt her pulse. He it took him five minutes before he could find one. She finally moaned. "Oh. Thank Merlin!" he said. He picked her up and rushed her to the Hospital Wing. Harry however had a sprained ankle, a broken wrist, and a rib poking out from under his skin. They levitated him and rushed him back to Hogwarts.   
  
**********************  
  
(3:30 am. Hospital Wing)  
  
Harry woke with a start. He tried to sit up but let out a whimper at the pain that shot through his body and plopped back down onto the pillows. He heard a moan and looked over at the next bed. Christine was laying there with her head bandaged up and her neck bruised badly. 'Oi.' he thought. "What time is it?" she suddenly asked. "I don't know." he said. "Oh! It hurts to talk." she said. "Same here." said Harry. "Help me up." said Christine. "Right. Why?" asked Harry. "Just do it." she said. "Right." said Harry. He walked over to the bed Christine was laying in and grabbed her under her arms. He made like he was hugging her and pulled her up. He pulled her legs over the side of the bed and propped her up. He held onto her arms just incase she fell. " Be an angel and move me over to the balcony." she said sweetly. "Right-o" he said. "I'm going to have to pick you up." he said. "Fine. But no funny stuff. Nice and easy." she said. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle." he said. He sild one hand on top of her shoulder blades and one under her knees. He braced himself for alot of weight, but, surpisingly, she barely weighed anything. "I know. I'm heavy." she said. "No. Actually, you're pretty light. Don't you *ever* eat anything?" he asked. "Every now and then." she said. "You smell good." he said. "Peaches." she said. He sat her down on the wide railing. It was just wide enough for someone to sit on. He leaned her up against the building. "Thanks. You're a living doll." she said. Harry looked at her. Really looked at her. The moonlight danced along her hair. Casting shadows across her face. She looked wonderful. Even in the pajamas provided by Madame Pomfrey, she looked like an angel. "Do you miss them?" she said suddenly. "Who?" he said, sitting in front of her. "Your parents." she said. "Yes." he said. "At least they cared about you." she said. "Yours don't?" he asked. "My dad's a lunatic and my moms dead. But, she cared about me. My stepmom could care less." she said. "I know the feeling." he said. "You do? she asked. "Yeah. I live with my Muggle Aunt and Uncle. They don't take too kindly to magic. They think I'm a freak. So, they take every chance they get to hurt me." he said. "I'm sorry. It's the same way for me. Only. My father thinks my mother's death was my fault." she said. "How so." he asked. "I'd rather not talk about it." said Chrisitne. She shivered all of a sudden. "Cold." he asked. "Yeah. she replied. He didn't blame her. It was early autmn and it was crisp outside. He got down and slid his arms under her again, and held s she wouldn't fall and climbed up onto the railing. Then he picked her up and then put her in between his legs and put his arms around her. She leaned into him. "Better?" he asked. "Uh.. Yeah. Thanks." she said. They looked up at the stars that decorated the sky like crystals. "They're beautiful." she said. "Yeah." siad Harry. "Look. There's Orion." she said. "You know what the belt is used for?" he asked. "To hold up Orions pants." she said. "How'd you know?" he said. "I was raised in the Muggle world too, ya know." she said. "That's true. " he said. "Why don't you have a girlfriend." asked Chrisitne. "I dunno." he said. As a breeze blew, he tightend his grip around her. She pulled on the front of his pajama top. "I never thought that I would be sitting like this with a you." he said. "Same-" she said. She never got to finish. She suddenly coudn't breathe. She threw her hands around her throat. "Help." she gasped. "Help!" "Christine! What's wrong?" he asked. "Can't. Breathe." she managed to say. She started to sway. She started to fall off the side of the balcony. Harry saw this and caught her. He picked her up and banged on Madame Pomfrey's chamber door. She opened the door and gasped when she saw Christine. "Not now. Not now." she muttered. She took Christine and ran down the hall. Harry didn't see them for the rest of the night. 'What is going on?' he thought.  
  
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Anon-e-MOUSE: hi! thanx for reviewing. no, i didn't get my title from SPACEBALLS. i got it from a cd. tATu to be precise. i can't help what the story chapters come out looking like. that's just the way my computer does it. i'll get it checked soon. or something. review more!  
  
~!!Reality~*~Check!!~: i like ur review. i'll write more soon. promise.  
  
the smiths: thanx. i love this story too.  
  
Lefteye: hey grrl! thanx for all the wonderful reviews and emails. lov ya! p.s. i'll read ur next chapter soon. ~big fat bear~ lol*  
  
HarryPotter4ever73649: i'll write more soon  
  
WinterTimeIsHere!$: if you write more. i'll write more! lol*  
  
fantasyangel: i'll update ASAP!   
  
  
  
anonymous: yeah. i did know that this was the theme song. but i didn't know until *after* i put the title on. my friend told me.  
  
Jean: thanx. i like to do new things. :)  
  
LadyRaya says:  
  
I like this chapter. Okay. R/R. I'll write more. Bye.  
  
Love,  
  
LR 


	7. The Rose That Broke The Stone

Chapter 7  
  
Diclaimer: Oh, come on!  
  
Warning: I hate doing this!  
  
In this Chappie: Bas news about Chrissy.   
  
Draco and Blaise were sitting in front of the fire in the common room. "How do you think Chrisitne is ?" asked Blaise. They had been up the past few hours worried about her. "I don't know." said Draco. "That was a damn fool thing to do." said Blaise. "No shit." said the blonde. They were both silent for a little bit. Blaise looked over at Draco. He was looking into the fire with an intencity that seemed to fly like the fire. The flames were reflected in his eyes. "What?" asked Draco. He felt Blaise's eyes on him. "Nothing." said Blaise. He looked away, blushing. "Do you love Christine?" he asked. "Like a sister." said Draco. "But, I don't really swing that way." he said. "What?" asked Blaise. "I said...Nevermind." said Draco. Blaise looked at the clock on the mantle again. "Wonder how she's doing?" said Draco. "Oh come on! We're acting like to old witches! Worrying about everything! Let's go for a walk and clear our heads." he suggested. "Okay." agreed Draco. They got their cloaks and headed out the door.They listned for any sign of Mrs.Norris of Filch. Nope. Finally gone to bed. They were heading out of the corridor, when they heard voices from behined a door. "We don't know how long the treatment is going to last." said a woman's voice. "Yes, Headmaster. She may not get through the night." said a man's voice. Blaise and Draco's hearts both stopped at this. "She looks pretty bad. The bleeding doesn't want to stop. Her breathing is too irregular. She needs to go to a proper Hospital." said the woman. "Are you both daft!? She won't be safe there. If she goes to a Hospital, Voldemort will get her a torture her until he gets what he wants!" said the outraged Headmaster. The door was cracked a little bit. The young students peered in. What they saw was enough to bring the toughest man to tears. Christine was lying on a table, blood splattered on her face, neck, and arms. Her chest was going up and down and a pace so odd, it would baffle the smartest of magical people. Her once tan skin was marble white.A cord had been  
  
inserted in to her arm and was feeding the potion to her. The professors where all looking sullen. The light had gone out in Professor Dumbledor's eyes. They were now misty and sad. Professor McGonagall was weeping by Chrisitne. She had taken one of her hands and was holding it. She kept saying over and over "It's not fair. It's not fair." and "My little girl." Christine wasn't just a girl with an incurrable disease. She held a place in so many people's hearts. She brought joy into some many people's lives. She was a daughter. A granddaughter. A neice. A friend. And a wonderful person. Professor Snape was looking at her with an emotion in his eyes that Draco hadn't seen in years. Fear. It was obvious that Snape cared for her like a daughter. The two boys dicided they had had enough and walked away from the door. When they stepped into the chilled night air, it awoke them from their daydreams. More like nightmares. Their best friend might not be alive tomorrow and there was nothing they could do about it. "I can't believe it." said Blaise quietly. "Why." said Draco. "Why does this have to happen to her?! She hasn't done anything wrong! Her only crime is being the best person I've ever known!" he shouted. Tears were running down his cheeks. For the first time in his life. Draco had something to truly cry about. His best friend was dying. "You know what a fighter Christine is. She won't give up without a good fight." said Blaise. "She stonger than anyone can ever hope to be." he said. "She'll get through this. We've had bad before." he said. 'This is worse' he thought.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Meanwhile~   
  
'Harry. Help me.' came a soft voice.  
  
'Help me.' it said again.  
  
Harry looked around. But he was alone.  
  
'Over here.' said the voice.  
  
He looked behined him. There was Christine. She was in a white dress. It wasn't form-fitting, but it wasn't loose either. Her hair was drawn up and fastend in place by a white rose. She had a necklace made of pearls around her neck. For someone so beautiful. She looked so sad.  
  
'Are you an angel?' asked Harry.   
  
'Help me.' said Christine again.   
  
'How?' he asked.  
  
'Help me.' she said as she fadded away.  
  
Harry heard a cold laughter and a green light. But the green light was cut off by an unfamiliar white light. And a voice that said: "You won't take us, yet!"  
  
Then all was black.  
  
****************************  
  
Harry shot up in his bed. That dream. It seemed so real! He felt something roll down his sheets. He picked it up. "A rose."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ok. Cliffy. I dicided to try it. More reviews. More story. Lov y'all!  
  
Lov,  
  
LR 


	8. An Attempt A Failure

Disclaimer: Not gonna say anything!  
Warnings: LadyRaya is not in right now. Please leave a message at the beep. BEEP  
In this Chappie: An attempt on Christine makes things more difficult for her friends and lover(soon-to-be lover). Uh-oh.  
  
"A rose" said Harry. 'White.' he thought. "Mister Potter. I see you're awake." came a smooth, oily voice. Today, though, the voice was slightly cracked. "Yes Professor." said Harry. Professor Snape pulled up a chair next to Harry's bed. Harry qickly hid the rose under his sheets. If Professor Snape saw this, he hid it well. "I hear you're the one that saved Young Miss Winters' life." he said. "I saved her life?" asked Harry. "You have no idea to what extent her sickness goes, do you?" asked Snape. "No. I-I just thought that it was just something little." he said. " Potter, I think all this celebrity has crushed what little brian you had left." said Snape. Harry was silent. "I'll tell you how bad it is. When Christine was a little girl, no more than two or three, the Cartile Disease kicked in. It runs in her family. But, most of them were lucky enough to die before it got as bad as hers." he paused as if it was a bad memory that he had tried to block out. "Her father and I were good friends for a long time. She and her family were over at my house when all of a sudden, she fell over and said that she couldn't feel her legs. Her father just thought that it had fallen asleep when she was sitting down." he said. "But, her mother knew it was more than that. It was the beginnings of the Cartile Disease." he said. "From then on, she's been plauged with attacks. It's in the final stages now. If you had waited just a few seconds longer she could've died." he said. Harry was trying to take it all in. Snape's words echoed in his head. 'She could've died...plauged with attacks....knew it was more....when she was a little 've died.' "Potter? Potter?" said Snape, bringing Harry back to reality. "Did you hear me? I said, watch her. If she's alone, make sure that you follow her. Got me? If anything happens to her... She holds places in alot of hearts." he said. "Okay." said Harry. Snape sat back in his chair and said: "You like her, don't you?" "What?! Me like her? Impossible. Not right! No way!" said Harry. Snape just laughed. A real, geniuine laugh. "Of course. How irrational of me. " he said. "No way that someone like you would ever be interested in a smart, pretty, funny, girl like Christine. Simply unheard of." he said. "Er....." was all Harry said. "I thought so." said Professor Snape. "Well Potter. You'll be attending class tomorrow. So, get you're sleep. I don't want to catch you sleeping in my class tomorrow." he said as he turned to leave. "Yes Professor." said Harry. He laid back onto his pillow. 'Do I like her?' he thought. 'No. I can't. She's a Slytherin. I'm a Gryffindor. It's wrong.' he thought. 'Wait just a damn minute. Since when did I get to be such a damn prejudice? So what if we're in different houses. ' he thought. 'What am I saying???!!! I can't like her! She's rude and concited, and sarcastic. She's the female version of Malfoy. She's stuck-up, she's cocky. She's....pretty, intelligent, witty, caring about her friends. Funny. Why shouldn't I like her?' he thought. He groaned and brought his hands onto his face. " I 've got to be the only guy I know to argue with himself in his subconcious." he said into his hands. He fell into an uneasy sleep. No dreams. Just the memory of Chrisitne. Weak and tired of fighting . He didn't notice that the rose, once white and beautiful was not brown and dead. How could he know that that was a message.  
  
Christine had been left alone to sleep. "Christine." came and evil voice. Smooth. Rich. Thick. Like honey. Poisoned honey. "Christine. Come to me. I won't hurt you." came the voice.  
She opened her eyes. She got up. She knew that voice. She knew she should stay away. But, the voice was so hypmotizing. She walked to the large doors that led to the Hogwarts grounds.  
"Yes. That's it Chrisitne. Just a little more. Come Christine. Join me." said the voice.  
She was walking towards the Forbidden Forest. "More. More. More."  
Just has a hooded figure was about to grab her, something(or someone) grabbed her from behined and threw her back. Something(or someone) else caught her. She snapped out of her trance . She screamed at what she saw. Hagrid was fighting what she saw as a very scary figure. She looked at who was holding her. "Draco!" she said. He was drawing his wand. "No. Let me." she said. "You're not strong enough." said Draco. But, Christine wasn't listening. She had raised her hand, and along with it the figure raised. She threw her hand towards the east and the figure dissapered. "What in tha world were ya thinkin'?" said Hagrid. "That's just it." said Chrisitne. "I wasn't. Thinking, that is." she said. "What?" said Draco, intelligently. "It was like, it wasn't me. Someone was inside my head. Willing me to walk." she said. "Let's get you back to Hogwarts." said Draco. As they were walking back, a voice said "Don't worry, pet. You will be mine. Don't you worry." "Did you hear that?" asked Christine, fear in her eyes. "  
No." said Hagrid and Draco together. "I know I heard something." she said. "Alright. Alright. Sleep in my room tonight." said Draco. "You sure?" she asked. "Yeah." he said. "Thanks, Dracie" she said, hugging him like a child would do their bear or doll. "You're welcome." he said, hugging her back. As they headed back inside Hagrid said: "Christine, be careful. I'll watch out fer more suspicious characters. But, you should tell Dumbledor." he said. "Ok, Hagrid. I promise. I'll tell Uncle Albie. Goodnight." she said, hugging her old friend. "G'night, Chrissy." he said. They were down they corridor when she started to cough. But, it was over as fast as it came. "Are you ok?" asked the blonde looking concerned. "Yes. Yes." she said with a wave of her hand. They started to walk again. When the got inside the common room, she calapsed. "Christine? Christine!" said Draco. "I-I can't use my legs." she said, close to tears. He picked her up and ran up the stairs. He laid Christine down on the the couch. He rushed to the dresser and took out a frosted blue bottle. He ran back downstairs and gave the bottle to Christine. She gratefully drak the contents and threw the bottle down. It smashed into frosted blue shards. She moved one leg slithgtly. And then, the other. "I think I'll just sleep here tonight." she said. "No." said Draco. "Yes." said Christine. "Alright." he said. He walked up the stairs. And he came back down with two blankets and two pillows. He gave a blanket and pillow to her and put a blanket and pillow on an armchair. He rested Christine's head on the pillow and covered her with the blanket. "Thanks." she said. "Don't mention it." he said. They slept well that night. Looking out for eachother.   
  
Okay. Wadda think? It's not one of my better chapters. A bit rushed. But, I like it. Suggestions? Comments? Complaints? Flames welcome, but not taken into consideration. Bye now!  
Lov,  
LR 


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